West Virginia becoming walleye hot spot
For those unfamiliar with the area, a discussion that involves fishing, as well as West Virginia, will most likely center around trout, or perhaps largemouth or smallmouth bass.
But West Virginia provides a wide variety of walleye fishing opportunities, ones that are getting even better thanks to extensive efforts of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
“Folks would never think it, but West Virginia is becoming a walleye destination,” said Dave Wellman, fisheries biologist for the WVDNR. Wellman the fisheries manager for Region 1 of the state, which encompasses the northern portion of the state and the northern panhandle. He also spearheads the agency’s walleye management program.
Currently West Virginia boasts walleye fisheries are maintained through stocking, as well as ones with naturally reproducing populations. For nearly 15 years the agency has been focusing efforts through a better-defined walleye management plan.
“In general, what we have tried to do is work with what we have,” Wellman noted. “Some areas are self-sustaining and produce good numbers of walleyes for the frying pan. Other areas need a little help through stocking, but can produce fish of trophy size.”
Of interest is the Eastern Highlands strain of walleye. The Eastern Highlands strain is native to river environments, such as that of the Ohio River watershed, which drains much of West Virginia. Before the discovery of the Eastern Highlands strain, all walleyes raised in state hatcheries were of the Great Lakes strain, which are native to a lake-type environment. Research has shown the Eastern Highlands strain to do significantly better in riverine settings. As such, many of the state’s rivers are now being stocked with Eastern Highlands-strain walleyes. In general, Great Lakes -strain walleyes are still being stocked in reservoirs and some larger river settings, something that may change as greater supplies of Eastern Highlands strain become available.
According to Wellman, challenges exist in producing Eastern Highlands strain walleye fingerlings for stocking. This stain doesn’t produce as many eggs, and the eggs are harder to fertilize. Also, they tend to cannibalize earlier than the Great Lakes strain, a characteristic he said could be offset by stocking at a smaller size (before they reach this stage).
“It’s a work in progress,” Wellman noted. “Some years’ production is better than others. We are learning as we go.”
Currently Eastern Highlands-strain walleyes are being stocked in the New, Ohio and Kanawha river systems, and the Greenbrier River, which is a tributary of the New River.
The WVDR is quite pleased with the return it is seeing from the river strain of walleyes. Each spring brood fish are collected from the various stocked waters to create the year’s supply of fingerlings. Wellman said over 90 percent of the walleyes collected from the New River are of Eastern Highlands stain. The numbers are not quite as high on other rivers, but still impressive.
Due to the assortment of walleye-management situations in the state — natural reproduction, Eastern Highlands-strain, Great Lakes-strain — walleye regulations differ.
“Basically, where we have stocked or are aware of Eastern Highlands walleyes being present, we have placed stricter creel and size limits to help protect them,” Wellman said. “For instance, in the New River we have documented the Eastern Highlands females do not reach sexual maturity until about 24 inches. Therefore, we have a 20 to 30-inch slot limit with one over 30 inches allowed per day, to protect females until they have spawned a couple of times. In other areas, such as the Monongahela River basin we have not detected Eastern Highlands walleye strain, but have very good Great Lakes-strain walleye populations in the Monongahela River and Tygart Lake.”
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
